ACR I-Card: Priced in Dollars, Paid in Pesos
Bureau of Immigration · immigration
Quick answer
The ACR I-Card fee is USD 50.00 for 1 year, USD 100.00 for 2 years and USD 150.00 for 3 years, converted at the Bangko Sentral rate on the day of assessment. Visa fees are charged separately in pesos and are far larger. An express lane fee of ₱500.00 applies.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from Bureau of Immigration's official published sources: Bureau of Immigration | Citizen's Charter 2025, 1st Edition (https://immigration.gov.ph/citizens-charter/, retrieved 2026-09-01). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with Bureau of Immigration before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-09-01.
The fee is in dollars
The ACR I-Card, the Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card, is the one BI charge that is not denominated in pesos.
| Validity | ACR I-Card fee |
|---|---|
| 1 year | USD 50.00 |
| 2 years | USD 100.00 |
| 3 years | USD 150.00 |
The charter prints a note directly beneath those rows: the ACR I-Card is based on the foreign exchange rate of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on the day of assessment.
That has a consequence worth planning around. The peso amount is fixed on the day your fees are assessed, not the day you applied and not the day you collect. Two people applying in the same month for the same card can hand over different peso amounts, and no BI page can tell you in advance what yours will be.
It also means every peso figure you will find quoted online for this card is a snapshot of somebody’s assessment day, and stale by definition.
The card fee is the small part
What actually empties the account is the visa fee, and that one is in pesos. The charter bills both on one Order of Payment Slip, which is why they get confused.
For a 9(g) pre-arranged employee visa, other corporation employer:
| Validity | Principal | Spouse | Dependent under 16 | Dependent under 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | ₱10,130.00 | ₱8,120.00 | ₱7,870.00 | ₱7,370.00 |
| 2 years | ₱17,170.00 | ₱13,960.00 | ₱13,710.00 | ₱13,210.00 |
| 3 years | ₱24,210.00 | ₱19,800.00 | ₱19,550.00 | ₱19,050.00 |
And where the employer is a Top 1000 Corporation, every figure is higher:
| Validity | Principal | Spouse | Dependent under 16 | Dependent under 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | ₱10,630.00 | ₱8,620.00 | ₱8,370.00 | ₱7,870.00 |
| 2 years | ₱18,170.00 | ₱14,960.00 | ₱14,710.00 | ₱14,210.00 |
| 3 years | ₱25,710.00 | ₱21,300.00 | ₱21,050.00 | ₱20,550.00 |
One figure in that table needs a caveat. The charter prints the 1-year dependent-under-16 fee as ₱8,730.00 on the page covering visa conversion, and as ₱8,370.00 on 52 other pages of the same document, including the extension service that uses an identical table. We have taken ₱8,370.00 as correct on the weight of that count, but if the assessment you are given says ₱8,730.00, the charter does say that too.
Two things are worth reading twice. The first is that the employer’s size changes what the employee pays, by ₱500.00 to ₱1,500.00 depending on the term. The second is that the card fee is identical across all four categories while the visa fee is not, so a family of four pays four identical card fees and four different visa fees.
Longer terms are cheaper per year
Both the card and the visa reward committing to a longer validity.
| Term | Card, per year | Visa, principal, other corporation, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | USD 50.00 | ₱10,130.00 |
| 2 years | USD 50.00 | ₱8,585.00 |
| 3 years | USD 50.00 | ₱8,070.00 |
The card is exactly linear, USD 50.00 a year however you slice it. The visa is not: a 3-year visa costs about 20% less per year than a 1-year one. On the principal alone that is roughly ₱6,180.00 saved across three years by applying once instead of three times, before counting the three trips avoided.
Voluntary registration
Not everyone holding a card is required to have one. The charter defines a voluntary issuance route for foreigners granted a visa but exempted from registration under special laws:
- Section 47(a)(2) exempt
- SIRV, the Special Investor’s Resident Visa
- SRRV, the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa
- BOI and Ecozone registrants
- Those admitted under RA 6768, the Balikbayan law
One district office additionally lists foreign nationals staying as temporary visitors for less than 59 days.
What you bring for the voluntary route:
| Document | Copies |
|---|---|
| Letter request to the Commissioner through the Chief of the Alien Registration Division, stating the purpose | 1 |
| Application form BI Form 2014-08-006 Rev 0, duly accomplished | 1 |
| Photocopy of the passport data page, the visa implementation page and the latest admission with authorized stay | 1 each |
| Photocopy of the ID card from the concerned agency, such as PRA, BOI, PEZA or CEZA, if applicable | 1 |
| For Balikbayan admission under RA 6768, the marriage or birth certificate of the Filipino spouse | 1 |
Fees on this route are the USD 50.00 card fee plus an express lane fee of ₱500.00. The counter work is 15 minutes to evaluate and issue the Order of Payment Slip, then 10 minutes at the Cash Section.
The 20-day rule
For conversion to a pre-arranged employee visa, the charter requires the authorized stay to be valid for at least 20 days at the time of assessment of fees.
This is the condition that sends people home to start again. It is not measured against the day you walk in, but against the day the fees are assessed, and it is checked before anything else happens. Arriving with two weeks left on your stay means the application does not begin.
The charter also notes that if the applicant has a derogatory record, the application is returned and the applicant is advised to settle the derogatory record first with the offices concerned.
Where the 54 days go
For a visa conversion carrying an ACR I-Card, the published total is 54 days, 6 hours and 22 minutes. The breakdown explains the shape of it:
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Interview of applicant and petitioner | 1 hour |
| Process and evaluate the visa application | 1 day |
| Prepare the draft order for the Board of Commissioners | 4 days |
| Transmit the visa and ACR I-Card application | 5 days |
| Final review and deliberation by the Board of Commissioners | 39 days, 4 hours and 37 minutes |
| Transmit the signed order back to the district office | 5 days |
| Inform the client on receipt of the order | 5 minutes |
One step is 72% of the wait. The Board of Commissioners deliberation, at 39 days, dwarfs everything else combined. Nothing an applicant does at the counter moves that number, which is worth knowing before paying an express lane fee and expecting speed.
The charter notes this conversion is qualified for multistage processing and is covered under CA 613, the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
Leaving the country: the ECC-B
An ACR I-Card holder departing temporarily needs an Emigration Clearance Certificate (ECC-B) or a Certificate of Exemption, which doubles as the return document.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A single-use receipt that also serves as a Re-entry Permit for immigrants and a Special Return Certificate for non-immigrants |
| Validity | 1 year or 6 months |
| Who may avail | Holders of a valid ACR I-Card, free from derogatory records, departing temporarily but intending to return |
| Who is excluded | Temporary Visitors Visa ACR I-Card holders, and those exempt from registration |
| Where | The BI E-services portal |
| First step | Validate the information provided, fee None, 1 minute, system automated |
It is applied for online, and the first step costs nothing.
What else a foreign worker needs
The ACR I-Card and the 9(g) visa are the immigration side. Employment carries a separate permit from a different department: an Alien Employment Permit from DOLE, which is applied for on its own timetable and its own fees. Earning income here also means registering for a TIN with the BIR.
The card itself is an identity document in practice as well as an immigration one, and where it is and is not accepted is covered in valid IDs in the Philippines.
Where this goes wrong
Budgeting a fixed peso amount for the card. It is USD 50.00, USD 100.00 or USD 150.00 converted at the BSP rate on the day of assessment.
Confusing the card fee with the visa fee. The card is tens of dollars; the visa is tens of thousands of pesos. They appear on one Order of Payment Slip.
Assuming the employer’s size does not matter. A Top 1000 Corporation employer means a higher visa fee for the same visa.
Arriving with under 20 days of authorized stay. The conversion cannot be assessed.
Expecting the express lane fee to shorten the wait. The single largest component is a 39-day Board deliberation.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is the ACR I-Card?
- USD 50.00 for a 1-year validity, USD 100.00 for 2 years and USD 150.00 for 3 years. The charter prices it in dollars and states it is converted at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas foreign exchange rate on the day of assessment, so the peso amount is not fixed.
- Why is the fee in dollars?
- The charter simply sets it that way. What matters practically is the consequence: the peso figure you pay depends on the BSP rate on the day your fees are assessed, not on the day you applied or the day you collect the card. Two applicants in the same month can pay different peso amounts for the same card.
- Is the visa fee included?
- No, and the visa fee is much larger. For a 9(g) pre-arranged employee visa with an other-corporation employer, the 1-year visa fee is ₱10,130.00 for the principal, against USD 50.00 for the card. They are billed together on one Order of Payment Slip but they are separate charges.
- Do dependents pay the same card fee?
- Yes. The charter lists USD 50.00, USD 100.00 and USD 150.00 identically for the principal, the spouse, a dependent below 16 years old and a dependent below 14 years old. Only the visa fee varies by category.
- What is the express lane fee?
- ₱500.00. The charter records it against the voluntary ACR I-Card issuance service alongside the USD 50.00 card fee. It is a peso charge, so it does not move with the exchange rate.
- Who can apply voluntarily?
- Foreigners granted a visa but exempted from registration under special laws, which the charter lists as Section 47(a)(2) exempt, SIRV, SRRV, BOI and Ecozone, along with those admitted under RA 6768, the Balikbayan law. One district office also lists temporary visitors staying less than 59 days.
- How long does the whole thing take?
- For the voluntary card alone, the counter steps are 15 minutes to evaluate and 10 minutes at the cashier. For a visa conversion that carries a card, the charter's published total is 54 days, 6 hours and 22 minutes, of which the Board of Commissioners deliberation alone is 39 days, 4 hours and 37 minutes.
- How much validity do I need left on my stay?
- At least 20 days. For conversion to a pre-arranged employee visa the charter requires the authorized stay to be valid for at least twenty days at the time the fees are assessed.